Thomas Eakins; Portrait of A. Bryan Wall; 1904; oil on canvas; 24 1/4 in. x 20 3/16 in. (61.6 cm x 51.28 cm); At the outset of his career Thomas Eakins epitomized critical hopes for an art that would be both technically accomplished and distinctively national. Having studied in Paris with painters Jean-L閛n G閞鬽e and L閛n Bonnat; and sculptor August Dumont; Eakins returned to Philadelphia and began painting portraits of individuals whom he regarded as heroes of modern life. These pictures demonstrated knowledge gained through perspective studies; anatomical dissection; and rigorous observation. As a professor and then director of the Pennsylvania Academy from 1879 to 1886; Eakins revised the curriculum in accordance with a scientific approach focused on the study of anatomy and painting the live model. Resistance to Eakins' zeal for teaching from the nude figure eventually forced him to resign his position. This portrait of fellow artist A. Bryan Wall shows the artist's unflagging attention to empirical detail. It exemplifies the unvarnished realism that resulted from his unique wedding of artistic skill and scientific interests.